Hamburg police said on Saturday that four victims who sustained life-threatening injuries in a knife attack at the city’s central train station were in stable condition. The assault occurred around 18:00 local time on Friday between platforms 13 and 14, a busy area accessible from a main road.
Officers arrested a 39-year-old German woman at the scene. Authorities stated there was "very concrete evidence" of mental illness in the suspect and no indication the attack was politically motivated. The woman remains in custody and is expected to appear in court.
According to police, the suspect began stabbing people waiting for a train before being subdued by bystanders and emergency responders. The victims ranged in age from 19 to 85, with seven sustaining minor injuries, seven seriously injured, and four critically wounded. The critically injured—a 24-year-old woman, a 24-year-old man, a 52-year-old woman, and an 85-year-old woman—were reported stable as of Saturday.
Investigators reiterated that there was no evidence of a political motive, emphasizing the suspect’s mental health history. She did not appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol at the time of the attack.
German officials revealed on Sunday that the suspect had been known to police since 2021 due to "clear signs of mental illness." A resident of Lower Saxony, she had been released from a psychiatric hospital just one day before the attack.
A spokeswoman for prosecutors told Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) that the suspect admitted to the stabbing before a magistrate. Lower Saxony authorities confirmed that police had previously initiated criminal proceedings against her in multiple cases last year.
"She appeared at police stations several times, showing clear signs of mental illness," a Lower Saxony Health Ministry spokesman said. Following an incident in early May, a court ordered her placement in a psychiatric facility, where she received three weeks of treatment before being released. The clinic stated that her discharge was due to a lack of medical justification for further care at the time.
Authorities declined to disclose details of her illness, citing patient confidentiality. However, they noted that psychiatric evaluations before release assess whether a patient poses a danger to themselves or others.
The suspect has no known history of knife-related offenses and does not hold a firearms license. A magistrate has since ordered her return to psychiatric care.
The woman faces 15 counts of attempted manslaughter combined with grievous bodily harm, corresponding to those directly injured by the knife. The remaining victims suffered shock or fall-related injuries.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz condemned the attack as "shocking" and praised emergency responders for their swift action.
Footage from the scene showed emergency personnel cordoning off the area, while social media videos depicted the suspect being escorted from the platform in handcuffs. The investigation remains ongoing.